Football: Allen visiting?

There are multiple reports out there that safety Keenan Allen of Greensboro, N.C. is visiting Cal this weekend. This is something I heard last week may happen but have yet to get confirmed. But there is no reason to believe the reports out there are wrong. Allen reportedly is on campus along with his half-brother, Zach Maynard, who is transferring out of Buffalo and is looking to join Allen at the same school.

Allen is the No. 1-rated safety in the country by scout.com and the fifth-best overall prospect. He is a soft commit to Alabama and is believed to also be strongly considering Clemson.

Jonathan Okanes

Jonathan Okanes is in his fourth year covering Cal's football team. Previously, he covered Cal's men's basketball team for four years. He can also be followed on Twitter at twitter.com/OkanesonCal.

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17 Comments

Someone get Martin Allen’s and Maynard’s cell numbers to help the pitch. A top safety would help defensive schemes SO much. With our front seven looking pretty strong if the class falls in line with the verbals (and the rumored King addition), this could be an incredible recruiting class on the defensive side of the ball.

USA Today had an article yesterday that said these two are on campus visiting this weekend. The article also listed a few other candidates still considering us. That article stated that Clemson is the favorite for both of these guys, but we’re in the mix.

All you can ask for is to be in the mix with these elite recruits.
They are here and on campus, will they pull the trigger for Cal? That’s the question. If they want to get a good degree, have a chance to compete for a championship with good coaches, and make the NFL Cal is as good a place as any other.
Plenty of guys out there on the fence right now we hope to land. Possibly 6 total. The class that’s lined up is already very good, easily top 20. Just think what it will be like if Cal lands 3/4 of these guys or gasp, all of them! Could be a top 10 rated class pushing top 5!
More importantly will infuse the roster with young hungry talent. Recruiting is the life blood of every college program, looks like Cal has joined the big boys with this years 2010 class of recruits!

I like your comment Bears. But I do disagree with you on us being as good a choice as anybody to compete for a championship. We’re a great school and place to grow as a person. But when it comes to competiting for championships in football, we’re not there yet. That’s like me saying I would consider attending a safety school like UCLA, USC or Chico “bud smoking” State, and justify it by saying – “i can get a great education anywhere!” That’s false.

This recruit class will be good even if none of these fence guys sign. If they do sign they can have a big part in taking us to the next level. But to think that we offer recruits a chance at championships isn’t realistic. We shouldn’t sell recruits on that, we should sell them on playing time, location, education/experience, cute (asian) girls, and the family environment Tedford has developed.

I disagree CM, you have to take into account that UCLA is the school that receives the most applications for undergraduate admission in the nation. So that percentage is skewed. But then again, I’m a nerd and that’s probably why I know they’re the school that receives the most undergraduate applications in the nation each year.

And I dealt with obnoxious UCLA fans for a couple of years at the sports bar in Walnut Creek – and that’s probably what really affected me. Obviously UCLA is a really good school, and students who go there or any other UC should be proud/happy/appreciative of their program.

Why not get on a plane and have an all expense paid weekend to California. It sounds like they are just using a little leverage to get Bama to sign both kids and they are using you to get it.

Pete Carroll would never allow for that. No one held our program hostage. The last time I heard anything about our program LK had our recruiting just about wrapped up and the kids who wanted to play for us were given an ultimatum. Sign now or go find another team to play for.

Unfortunately I don’t have my contact any longer so I can’t bring up to date news. However I know there is one high school player in my area that USC has been targeting for a couple of years and was close to giving a verbal because he wanted to play his senior year without distraction. I don’t know if that has changed with LK but I doubt it. I just know your program won’t get him.

Jauncho, well, I agree with your criticism that Cal certainly lacks the opportunity to complete for a championship when compared to anybody, but it isn’t like the chance for a championship here is nil. We have come up far short, repeatedly, but we have been in the conversation.

I wouldn’t be trumpeting the championship portion of the argument in trying to get recruits here, but I would mention we are are on the doorstep of that level of competition. Let the recruit think they can be a difference maker (Martin genuinely believes he can be someone who helps change the attitude of the team, and that alone may be enough to put us in the next level, all it takes is a pesonality that inspires others).

Mostly, I am psyched that these guys are spending the last possible weekend out here. Cal is a different flavor than 99.9% of college campuses. If it clicks for these guys, then they come. I am not a huge believer in the degree argument when it comes to the likes of Allen (who probably is thinking NFL), but Maynard has to be thinking degree in some part, at least.

Again, however, I believe very much in the flip-side, if they don’t like the campus vibe, they should go elsewhere. For most, it is either magic or mayhem. I am hoping they feel they magic, and choose to be Golden Bears.

Cal shared the Pac 10 championship in 2006. They had one loss in 2004 and came in second in the Pac, arguably, they were the best team in 04 just could not beat the other best team in their house.
Rose to #2 in the nation in 07. Since then they have not competed for a Championship but have been very solid. From late 03-mid 07 Cal competed for a Championship. The group of players who sign with Cal Wednesday will be able to compete for a Championship. No doubt.

Wisdom Cow, I agree that’s it’s good that these guys are coming out here at all. And we’re definitely a different area/vibe than the other schools their considering – Clemson and Alabama, so hopefully the California lifestyle piques their interest.

I do disagree with your take on championships though. The last time we made it to the Rose Bowl is a really really long time ago. I wouldn’t use winning championships as a selling point to someone who is currently committed to Alabama. That’s just not a good selling point in that context. I’d sell all these guys on playing time, the lifestyle, and the PAC 10.

By the way, as a marketer I’m hoping the bay area news group and JO are working on some initiatives to help them make some money as a result of this blog. For pete’s sake, look at how many comments have gone up on a Saturday morning, in January, for a Cal Football blog?

I hope you folks get some decent advertising dollars through this initiative, or are looking at using email marketing campaigns such as newsletters – that open up more possibility for advertising space. I work in this stuff and companies go wild for banner spaces in newsletters, because the distribution list is already segmented for them. I.e., Cal football fans.

Well I guess the Pac 10 should have crowned sc last year and never played the season by the reasoning I’m seeing in comments. Oregon had no business winning because they had not won since the early 90’s.
The facts are Cal’s players will be able to compete for Championships by becoming Bears. The past does not dictate what will happen tomorrow, all that matters to me as a fan is what happens now. Cal hoops is competing for a Championship right now. Our football team has their chance this coming fall.
Will they do it? What team will? No one knows, that’s what makes sports so much fun. The facts are they will have the chance to win the Pac 10 at Cal.
This class is going to be sick!